Hi all - Happy Winter Veil! Apologies for the delay on this one, work got a little crazy with the end of the year. Things then got a little crazier when I adopted a pup for Christmas - she's a rescue dog and has been pretty badly abused so she's needed a lot of my time and attention while she's been settling in. I'm happily on break now though so I'm hoping to do a lot of writing. Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season!

Anduin

Anduin paced back and forth around his father's study, anxiously awaiting Varian and Auriana's return from Booty Bay. They had left hours ago, at sunset, and had not been heard from since. Anduin was one of only three other people who knew where they had gone, and even though he was certain Mathias Shaw would have found some way to keep an eye on them, he couldn't help but to worry. At the time, Anduin had been rather insistent that his father and Auriana take the opportunity to speak to Warchief Vol'jin, but it was only now that he fully appreciated that doing so might have put them in very grave danger. He knew his father had been concerned about the possibility of a Horde trap, and if even if the Horde had called for the meeting in good faith, there were plenty of other things that could go wrong in a place like Booty Bay...

With an irritable sigh, Anduin tugged at the hem of his coat, and increased his pace as he circled the room. He had grown so concerned for his father and Auriana's safety as the evening progressed that he had barely touched his dinner, though he now somewhat regretted the decision as his stomach grumbled loudly in protest. He had also briefly considered sneaking a drink from his Varian's private liquor cabinet to ease his nerves, only to realise that doing so on an empty stomach would probably be ill-advised. Instead, he had settled for making laps of the oak-lined study, pausing only to glance at the incessantly ticking clock above the fireplace when it chimed the hour.

Anduin had always desired peace between the factions of Azeroth, ever since he had been old enough to understand what the word 'peace' meant, though it seemed that the world around him tended to fall back into chaos more often than not. His own father had frequently been a source of his frustrations, and in truth he had been somewhat surprised by Varian's willingness to meet Vol'jin in Booty Bay. Anduin understood Varian's anger at the Horde, but had always hoped that he would one day be able to forgive the losses he had suffered. It had only been recently, however, that he began to believe that a true peace might become reality. Varian had shown unusual consideration and restraint during the Siege of Orgrimmar, and later when committing Alliance troops to joint actions in Draenor under Auriana's command. On the Horde side, Vol'jin had proven himself to be a clever and insightful ruler, and Anduin hoped that today's meeting was a sign of more positive things to come.

As he paced, he fell so deeply into thought that he nearly jumped out of his skin when the door to the study finally opened, and Varian and Auriana stepped inside. For a moment, he almost didn't recognise them, dressed as they were in pirate garb that was wholly unlike anything they wore on a day-to-day basis - though, strangely, the roguish look rather suited the both of them. Varian looked every inch the rakish pirate king with his shirt and coat unbuttoned nearly to the waist and his unruly hair barely held back by a red bandana, while Auriana was poured into a dashing leather ensemble that was so tight Anduin wasn't entirely sure how she could breathe.

The second thing he noticed, with some relief, was that they were both alive and still in one piece. For once, even Auriana seemed to have returned from an adventure without any visible injuries, though he could not tell from looking at her whether the meeting had gone well. Anduin then turned to his father, but he, too, was similarly difficult to read. He looked faintly weary, as if he'd gone a night without sleep, and he acknowledged Anduin's presence with only a short nod as he made to pour himself a drink.

"Father? What happened?" Anduin asked, after a few moments of silence. "What did Vol'jin want? Was it a trap? Are you both alright? Did you have any troubles in Booty Bay? Please tell me you didn't antagonise anyone…"

He spoke quickly; hours of built up tension exploding outwards in a rapid torrent of words that poured from his mouth with more force than he had expected.

"If you'd take a breath, son, I could tell you," Varian said wryly, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Anduin's fingers twitched as he took a seat on the chaise, and forced himself to watch patiently as Varian fixed himself a glass of whiskey. His father seemed to be moving unnaturally slowly, as if he were making a deliberate attempt to heighten Anduin's anticipation, and it was some time before he finally turned and spoke.

"It seems the Warchief wishes to hold a Tournament to improve interfactional relations," Varian explained, though Anduin still found it difficult to tell whether he thought the idea good or bad.

"A Tournament?" he repeated. "You mean… a fighting Tournament? How does that help?"

"The Warchief thought it one of the few things both sides could agree on. A chance to show off our martial prowess in a friendly environment, rather than an adversarial one," Varian said.

He took a sip of his drink, and ran his weathered fingers around the outside of the glass with a contemplative expression.

"I'm inclined to agree with his assessment."

"Really? You've told me stories of your time in the Crimson Ring, and it didn't sound… friendly," Anduin pointed out. "What if someone were to get seriously hurt? What if someone like you were to be hurt? Surely that could make things worse?"

He knew that Varian and Auriana both took great pleasure in sparring with another, though he had never really seen the appeal of fighting as a recreational activity. He had trained with Auriana in the arena, too, but had done so out of necessity and a desire to improve his skills as a priest, not because he found fighting itself to be an intrinsically enjoyable activity. He certainly didn't understand the delight his father and Auriana took in returning home from an afternoon in the arena covered in dirt and bruises, though it seemed that Warchief Vol'jin did.

"This would be a refereed Tournament, similar to officially sanctioned matches on the arena circuit; not at all like the bouts your father fought in the Crimson Ring," Auriana explained, folding her arms across her chest. "That was an underground slave tournament - very dangerous and very illegal."

"Sanctioned arena matches have rules around the kind of spells and weaponry that one is permitted to use, and there are protections in place to ensure no-one gets seriously injured," Varian agreed, nodding. "Arena matches are a test of skill and intelligence, where the Crimson Ring was more a test of pure strength… and brutality."

His words seemed to suggest that formal arena matches were a better option, but his tone said something different, and Anduin could have have sworn that he sounded faintly disappointed by the suggestion that no one would be seriously hurt.

"We didn't have time to discuss the details, but I assume that Vol'jin doesn't intend to throw people in a pit and have them fight to the death. It would be a tad counterproductive," Auriana added, as if reading Anduin's mind.

"In that case… I suppose I could see the value in such an approach," he said slowly.

While he would not personally have suggested a Tournament as a means to bridge the divide between Alliance and Horde, he still saw Vol'jin's offer as a step in the right direction. Of course, that didn't explain why the Warchief had insisted upon a meeting in Booty Bay, nor why his overtures had been shrouded in such secrecy.

"Why did he want to meet in Booty Bay, though? Why all the cloak and dagger?" Anduin asked, voicing his concerns aloud.

"Vol'jin wanted my tacit support of his plan before he made formal overtures to the rest of the Horde - or the Alliance," Varian said. "You're smart enough to know that not everyone in the Horde will be amenable to his proposal. He didn't want to lose face going to the trouble of negotiating with his allies only to have me refuse his offer later."

"And you, Father? Are you… amenable?"

The words once again came out a tad sharper than Anduin intended, but Varian made no comment on his tone. In fact, he did not immediately say anything at all. He had not yet given anything of his intent away, though a slight furrow had appeared between his heavy brows as he slowly sipped his whiskey. Anduin knew Varian had been angered by the abrupt end to his honeymoon, despite all protests to the contrary, and as he stared into his father's brooding blue eyes, he began to fear that in this instance, the more bellicose side of Varian's nature might have prevailed.

"You said yes... didn't you?" he prompted. "Father, this is an incredibly important offer from the Horde, if you refused…"

"I said yes," Varian said firmly, holding up a hand to stave off any further argument. "In principle, at least. I've agreed to further negotiations."

"Really?"

Although the answer was exactly what Anduin could have hoped for, he couldn't help but to sound surprised - and this time, his father definitely noticed. Varian and Auriana exchanged a look, and he let out a quiet, terse sigh. His gaze then flicked to his whiskey, and the corner of his mouth twitched downwards in a frown. It was in this silence that Anduin finally noticed how stiff and uncomfortable his father appeared, and although he had many more questions, he sensed that now was not the time. Varian did not seem to be in an especially forthcoming mood, for whatever reason, even though it sounded as if the meeting had gone as well as could be expected.

"Er… that is to say…"

"I'm going to go get out of this ridiculous outfit," Varian declared, abruptly striding for the door with his drink still in hand. "Auriana?"

"I'll join you in a minute," she said, briefly touching a hand to his forearm as he passed.

"As you wish," Varian said, shrugging.

Auriana's expression grew contemplative as Varian disappeared in the direction of their bedroom, but it was only once she heard the dull thud of the chamber door closing that she moved to fix a drink of her own. She typically preferred to drink night elven wine, but tonight she opted for a short nip of Gilnean brandy. Much like Varian, however, she seemed to take an inordinate amount of time preparing the drink; turning her back on Anduin without so much as a glance in his direction. Strangely, her shoulders also became noticeably rigid as she poured, and the air in the room grew thick with a palpable tension.

"Ah… Auri… are you alright?" Anduin asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of Varian's abrupt departure, nor Auriana's sudden, unexpected coolness. She was not an especially talkative person, admittedly, but it had been a long time since she had been so plainly silent with him, and he sensed that something was bothering her.

"Hmm?"

She turned back around, glass in hand, and leaned back up against the bar with her legs outstretched.

"You seem… quiet," Anduin observed.

A faint smile flickered across Auriana's face, and she raised her eyebrows.

"I'm always quiet," she countered.

"True," he conceded, "Though this is… a different kind of quiet. Something on your mind?"

Auriana nodded, but whatever answer she had originally intended to give him, she appeared to change her mind at the last minute.

"Anduin… I… it's been a long day," she said finally, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "I'm just… tired."

Although they were now officially a family, Anduin wasn't always sure where they stood with one another. He cared for Auriana a great deal, but he was still very concerned about upsetting her by saying the wrong thing - and he strongly suspected that she felt the same. He desperately wanted her to feel as if she could be open with him, but outside of a few very specific life or death situations, their conversations tended to be casual or lighthearted in nature. It was something Anduin hoped would change over time, but that didn't necessarily solve his immediate problem.

"I'm sorry," he said, frowning in sympathy, "But at least you were successful? Father agreed to negotiate with the Horde… didn't he?"

Anduin hoped changing the topic of conversation might prompt Auriana to speak her mind, though he was also keen to learn more about what had transpired down in Booty Bay. While he knew that initial negotiations were a far cry from successfully hosting an interfactional Tournament, it was still somewhat difficult to believe that Varian had agreed to taking the first step at all.

"Yes. He did."

Auriana suddenly stood up straighter, and looked back at Anduin askance. She bit her lip, and he once again got the sense that she was warring with something inside herself, as if she wasn't quite sure whether she should give her thoughts voice.

"Auri…? Whatever it is, you can tell me," Anduin insisted, trying his best to sound open and inviting.

For a second, she looked away, but after a few more moments of indecision, she spoke.

"You… you ought to give him more credit, you know," she said quietly.

Her tone was light, but there was a clear hint of reproach gleaming in her eyes as she stared at him from across the room.

"I… what's that supposed to mean?" Anduin asked, genuinely taken aback.

Although Auriana was known to have a legendary temper, she had never so much as raised her voice to Anduin, and he found it strange to be on the receiving end of her disapproval. Even now, she was not precisely angry, but it was clear that she was not pleased, either.

"You don't trust him to make the right choices," she observed, gesturing to the doorway through which Varian had disappeared. "It isn't easy, what he does, being High King. If he makes the wrong call, if he trusts the wrong person… thousands die."

Once again, there was no anger or vitriol in her voice, only a quiet note of disappointment that Anduin found infinitely more troublesome.

"I know that!" he protested. "And I trust him, of course I do."

"Are you sure?"

It was a simple enough question, but one that Anduin wasn't quite sure he could answer. He loved his father more than anyone in the world, and respected him immensely, but he wondered if Auriana's observation wasn't at least partially true. He had doubted Varian's intentions regarding the Horde in the past, and had hardly been shy about expressing his opinion on the matter. Even tonight, Anduin belatedly realised, he had assumed the worst of his father before Varian had even had a chance to open his mouth. He had always meant well, of course, but for perhaps the first time in his life, he began to wonder whether his criticisms had more of an effect on his father than he had ever thought.

"I know you were king while Varian was missing," Auriana added, "But as I understand it, Bolvar Fordragon was ultimately responsible for running the kingdom. You've never really been in a position where you've had to order men to their deaths. You've never had to make a choice that might leave the entire world in chaos."

Anduin opened his mouth to argue - and immediately closed it again as an uncomfortable sinking feeling arose in his stomach. As much as he might have found it difficult to admit - and as much as he hated the fact that he'd never before considered the point - Auriana was right. Anduin had been forced by circumstance to shoulder many responsibilities from a young age, but in truth he had never really made a decision without someone looking over his shoulder. Whether it had been Bolvar, Velen, Jaina, Genn, or Varian himself, he had always had someone older and more experienced guiding his actions, and someone to whom he could turn to for help and support should he fail.

Varian had no one.

It was then that Anduin realised that perhaps the real reason his father had left the study so abruptly was that he had been hurt by Anduin's doubt, and his chest tightened with fresh guilt in response. Varian would never say as much, of course, but on closer reflection, his quiet frowns and swift departure now made a great deal more sense.

"You're worried about him," Anduin observed, biting back the instinctive protest that still lingered on the tip of his tongue.

Auriana took a bracing sip of her drink, and nodded. She shared Varian's vigilant and defensive nature, and Anduin knew she would do anything within her power to protect him - even, apparently, from Anduin himself.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be harsh on you," she said, more gently. "I just… I don't think I've ever truly appreciated how hard it must be, being him. Not really, not until tonight. I saw it in Vol'jin, too; how much the mantle of leadership weighed on both of them."

She paused, and shook a hand through the lengths of her dark hair.

"Varian thanked me for being with him. He was so grateful not to find himself making that kind of decision alone. Again. He wants peace, I think, but… we've fought with the Horde for such a long time. If something goes awry, if people get hurt… that's on him."

She averted her gaze, and touched a hand to her chest as if the mere thought of Varian's sadness and loneliness was physically painful to her. It was a small movement, but the emotion behind it was palpable, and Anduin found himself hoping that he would one day be lucky enough to find someone who loved him even half as much as Auriana clearly loved his father.

"You… you're right," he admitted, frowning. "I know I… I push him, sometimes - a lot of the time, really, if I'm being honest… And it's only because I want so badly for things to be better - but… that doesn't necessarily make it fair. It's a lot easier to demand something when you're not the one who has to live with the consequences."

He gave Auriana a rueful shrug.

"The older I get, the more I realise that the world is not nearly as simple as I might like it to be," he murmured.

"Annoying, isn't it?" she agreed, screwing up her nose in an exaggerated expression of resignation.

"Very."

Auriana's features relaxed into a tentative smile, and some of the tension in her shoulders released as she took a sip of her drink.

"Anduin… I really didn't mean to make you feel poorly," she said shyly. "I just don't want him to feel any more pressure than he already does."

"I know. And I'm glad you said something," Anduin said sincerely. "I can be a bit single-minded sometimes."

"I wonder where you get that from," she chuckled, nodding towards Varian's chambers.

Anduin smiled briefly in acknowledgment, but the expression was short lived. He was pleased that Auriana had spoken her mind, though his concern over her awkwardness now shifted to concern over his father. He doubted Varian would appreciate an apology - it would seem too much like coddling - but he silently resolved to be more aware of the difficulties his father faced as High King in future. After all, Anduin himself had barely been in charge of the kingdom for a week before he had begun to feel overwhelmed, even with Genn's support, and he vaguely wondered why he had never considered that his father might feel the same. Anduin supposed it was because he sometimes struggled to see his father as anything less than the indomitable Varian Wrynn, a King with an almost mythical sense of confidence and command… and not as a human man with as many fears and doubts as anyone else...

"Is something wrong?" Auriana asked suddenly, her quiet voice breaking into Anduin's reverie. "Something on my face?"

She touched a hand to her nose, and tilted her head to the side with a small smile.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're staring."

Anduin had not been looking at Auriana specifically so much as he had been gazing blankly off into the distance as he reflected on his father, but from her perspective it must have appeared as if he were staring directly at her thighs.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," he mumbled distractedly. "Just… your pants are very tight."

It was the first thing that popped into Anduin's head, though he realised far to late exactly how his words must have sounded to Auriana. He immediately blushed beet red from the tip of his nose to the roots of his hair, and his throat went dry as he desperately tried to think of a way to explain himself. His comment had simply been an idle observation, not a criticism - or worse, an attempt to flatter or woo her - but he understood how it could be construed as something very different.

"Anduin…?"

If he had thought things had been awkward between them before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now.

"No! Sorry, I'm so sorry, that's not what I meant!" he gasped hurriedly, leaping to his feet. "You're not… I wasn't looking at you like… like that… I was just… I…"

Anduin felt his ears burn hot, and he suddenly very much wished that he had a mage's ability to disappear in an instant. Auriana's face was cool and expressionless as she stared back at him, and the entire room around him seemed to swell with another cloying, awkward silence.

Why did you have to open your mouth? He groaned inwardly.

"I'm not… you know I'm not... that is to say, you're very pretty, of course," he fumbled, desperately trying to find the words that might make things better. "I didn't mean to imply that you're not, just that I'm… not… you know?"

Auriana raised a skeptical eyebrow, and folded her arms across her chest as she watched Anduin struggle and stutter. She was a shy person at heart, as he had already witnessed only moments ago, and Anduin began to fear that his distracted faux pas may have already ruined their familial relationship barely a week after it had begun.

"I mean, we're not actually related, so it isn't weird in that sense, even if I were looking… which I wasn't! Just... I swear to you, Auri, I wasn't…" he tried, wishing she would say something instead of staring at him in stony-faced silence. "Father would kill me if I were, right? Though that's not what would stop me from looking, of course - which I wasn't, to be clear - I just meant that it's not that he's the only thing stopping me, it's me, too, because that would be… weird… though not quite related weird, and… hold on a minute, you're not actually upset, are you? You're teasing me?"

Auriana was doing a very convincing job of looking affronted, but at some point in his rambling Anduin had at last noticed the twinkle in her eyes, and the way she couldn't quite hide the smile pulling at the very corner of her lips.

"Perhaps," she admitted, eyeing him slyly over the rim of her glass.

"Oh, you're mean," Anduin huffed.

"And you make it far too easy," she countered, flashing him a decidedly wicked grin.

It was an unusually mischievous expression, and one that Anduin had only seen directed his way upon a handful of occasions. Auriana was rarely playful around anyone other than Varian, and Anduin was pleased to realise that even if he may have erred tonight when it came to his father, he had at least made some further progress with her.

Or at least, he would be pleased, whenever he managed to stop blushing.

"Uh… can we both agree not to tell Father about this? Please?" he asked weakly.

Auriana's smile widened, but it appeared she had no intention of heeding his plea. She gave him no answer save for an enigmatic shrug as she swept past him to the door, only to abruptly pause with one hand resting on the oak frame. She glanced back at him over one slender shoulder, and her impish expression faded into something more serious.

"Anduin… all joking aside… are we alright?" she asked.

"Of course," he said quickly. "I never want you to feel as if you can't talk to me - even if it's a difficult conversation. And I really wasn't staring, I swear…"

"Sure you weren't," she teased softly, flashing him one last warm smile as she turned to leave. "Goodnight, Anduin."

The study door made a soft thump as it closed behind her, and Anduin closed his eyes as he flopped back down on the chaise with the fire of his blush still burning in his cheeks.

"Goodnight, Auri," he murmured.

Dammit.